


Reaper

by faerrin



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 20:18:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16604807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faerrin/pseuds/faerrin
Summary: *･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･ＷＡＲＮＩＮＧ:ｔｈｉｓ  ｆｉｃ  ｗｉｌｌ  ｃｏｎｔａｉｎ   ｈｅａｖｙ  ｓｐｏｉｌｅｒｓ, ｄｅｆｉｎｉｔｅ  ｃｈａｎｇｅｓ  ｔｏ  ｔｈｅ  ｐｌｏｔ･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･**you get to choose between Yusuke, Ryuji, or both at some point...**Akira does not exist, sorry. you are the protagonist**female reader, but will hopefully become gender neutral when I gain actual skill*NEW FANFIC, SEMI-REGULAR UPDATES, OPEN TO CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISMＷＩＬＬＡＬＳＯＣＯＮＴＡＩＮ：•ｓｗｅａｒｉｎｇ•ｖｉｏｌｅｎｃｅ•ｔｒｉｇｇｅｒｓ•ｅｖｅｎｔｕａｌ ｌｅｍｏｎｙ  ｃｏｎｔｅｎｔ•ｃｒｉｎｇｅ





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I actually imported this from my Wattpad, which you can find me at:
> 
> @faerrin
> 
> It's better there...

Your crusty eyes open as the haze of sleep slowly starts to lift, you groggily rub your eyes. You were warm and comfy and you definitely didn't want to get up. You knew today was your first day of school though....You rubbed the heels of your hands against your eyes in one last attempt to wake up. You open your eyes reluctantly...wait a second.

  .....

This wasn't your room.  
It did look familiar though...

Wait! This was Akira's room, from the beginning of Persona 5. You shot out of the bed, still in the clothes you went to bed in. In your world. You shook your head. If this was real, you couldn't waste any time thinking about it! You had to get ready. You went to the box that had Akira's-wait no, your clothes in it. You opened it. Huh. In it was the Shujin skirt, fishnet stockings, a black lacy shirt with long belled sleeves, and you noticed a pair of combat boots by the table next to the stairs and a black leather jacket on the table. You hurriedly put everything on and got ready, not wanting to be late on your first day of school at Shujin!

 _Shujin,_ you thought. _I can't believe this! This is so cool..._ You looked around for a mirror, cursing when your search yielded nothing. You'd probably have to stop by the second-hand shop when you had more yen. The sudden smell of something good caught your attention. Oh yeah, you thought. Sojiro's famous curry! You hurriedly put on the boots and jacket, grabbed your bag, and rushed down the stairs.

The view of Leblanc made you grin. This confirmed this was indeed not a dream, it was definitely too real. The homely cafe seemed even more quaint, now that you were walking into it. Sojiro caught sight of you and shook his head. "You actually going to school? Heh, you even look excited. Come and sit, I might as well feed you before you go. Just make sure to finish before the customers get here."  
You practically pranced over, you had always wondered what his curry tasted like! "I made curry I hope-"  
You cut him off excitedly,"It's fine, I could smell it all the way upstairs! It looks as amazing as it smelled, I hope it tastes even better!"  
Sojiro chuckled. "Wow, you really like food, huh? Well dig in, everyone who's been here calls it legendary."  
"Everyone? Well I'll be the judge of that." You knew it was going to be amazing, but you liked Sojiro too much to not tease him a bit. You picked up the chopsticks at the side of the bowl, giving them only a quick look of determination before sliding them out of the paper and snapping them apart. You were an otaku, so of course you hadn't passed up the chance to learn how to properly use chopsticks. You were just worried you would do something wrong in front of someone who was raised using the utensils.

You took a small breath to prepare yourself and picked up some rice quickly, but carefully. All went well, even as you brought it to your mouth. As you opened your mouth and the curry hit your tongue, your eyes fluttered closed and you borderline moaned. The spices melded perfectly together with what you could only guess was ghee, which was a fabulous cooking ingredient. It was utter heaven! Confident in your chopsticking skills now, you began to hurriedly scarf it down. You wanted to savor it, but you didn't want to be late. Sojiro gave you a raised eyebrow and said,"Woah, I know it's good but I don't want you to choke. It'd be seen as my fault as your guardian, kid."

You gave him a small nod and continued your pace anyways. You finished your breakfast in record time and hopped up hurriedly, setting the chopsticks down. "Thanks for the meal!" You did a quick traditional bow and rushed to the door.  
"Hey, could you flip the sign to open?"  
"Of course!"  
"Don't get lost, you don't wanna be late on your first day of school."  
"I'll try not to, Sakura-san!"  
You were confident heading out the door though, flipping the sign over to open. You had GPS after all. While changing, you noticed you had your phone in your sleep pants (which is something you never do) but you knew it was something Akira did, so it made sense. You unlocked it and opened the GPS app. Thankfully the street and store signs around you were all in English, something you found intriguing, but you couldn't dwell on it because you had finally found the subway. At least here you knew what line to take. You made it just in time to cram by one of the doors, and you clutched your bag against you. Man, you hadn't been on a train even nearly this crowded before.

It took a bit, but you finally arrived in Shibuya, confirmed by the cheery loudspeaker announcement, "Shibuya. This is Shibuya." You sighed in relief as you escaped the stuffy and claustrophobic train car. You were glad you knew how to get to the Ginza Line now, because if you were honest, you spent nearly ten minutes trying to find it when you first played Persona 5. You laughed lightly to yourself. _Who woulda thought? I'm in my favorite game AND the protagonist to boot. But I'm not going to be 'Joker' though. I should think of a codename that suits me being a Trickster..._ You cut clear across the Station Square and headed up some stairs to the Ginza Line. You were greeted by the sight of a garishly yellow train, you were lucky to have caught it in time.

After even more time on another train, it finally came to your stop. "Aoyama-Itchome. This is Aoyama-Itchome." You rushed out of another overly crowded train car, glad to be rid of it. You headed towards the stairs when you smelled it. Rain? You mentally facepalmed. Of course! How could you have forgotten? This is where Akira first meets Ann, Ryuji, Morgana, and....that pig. You didn't want to even think of his name, he disgusted you so much. You quickly ran up the stairs and under an awning of a store nearby.

Briskly wiping off your clothes and hair, you took out your phone to see what would be the fastest route to Shujin. That's when the Nav app appeared on the GPS. You felt a surge of adrenaline from excitement. Someone walking past you distracted you and you couldn't help but look up. They joined you under the awning, brushing the water off and they reached up to take down their hood. _Isn't that-_ Your train of thought was answered by blonde, curled pigtails. It was Ann Takamaki! You blushed, she was even prettier in real life, no wonder she was a model! You felt immediately bad for her, knowing who was going to pick her up. She noticed you looking and gave a small smile before looking away again. That's when the car pulled up and the window went down. That pig of a teacher asked to give her a ride and she accepted, although you knew now she didn't have much of a choice. He asked you if you wanted a lift and it took every fiber of your being to act pleasant and naive as you declined. Seeing Ann's hopeless stare as the window rolled up again, begging for help, almost made you march up to that car and tell Kamoshida to keep his nasty rapist hands to himself. But you knew you had to control yourself. You watched guiltily as the car drove away. The rain was as gloomy as your new mood. Suddenly someone ran slightly past you, stopping and exclaimed, "Damn! Screw that pervy teacher!"  
You already knew who it was, but seeing the shock of blond hair and hearing his voice made it even more real to you.  
"...Pervy teacher?"

You already knew who and what he meant, but those words were out of your mouth before you knew it. And at that, Ryuji Sakamoto turned around at you and stared awkwardly, a light blush dusting his cheeks. Your Nav made a quiet hum, probably recognizing who Ryuji meant. Ryuji approached you, getting immediately defensive for reasons you could understand. "What are you lookin' at? Planning on ratting me out to Kamoshida?"  
You tilted your head in feigned confusion. "Who?"  
Ryuji looked slightly baffled. "Ya know, the guy in the car. Kamoshida."  
He continued. "He does whatever he wants. Who the hell does he think he is—the king of a castle? Don't you agree?"  
"The king of a castle?"  
"No, I mean..." Ryuji sweatdrops and goes silent for a bit.  
"Seriously, you don't know Kamoshida? Are you for real?...You go to Shujin, right?"  
"Oh, you go to Shujin too?" you asked with faked ignorance.  
"Really? Shujin is the only high school with this uniform..." He looked at the label on your bag. "Huh, second year...same grade as me! I've never seen you before though..." He thought a little and his face lit up in realization. "You a transfer student? Then no wonder you don't know him." He nodded his head in the general direction of what you assumed was the school. "This rain ain't too bad. We'd better hurry or we'll be late." A purple tint quickly clouded your vision and you became lightheaded. You clutched your head and it was over as soon as it had begun. It looked like Ryuji experienced it as well. "Dammit," he grumbled. "I just wanna go home..." He began walking away and you decided to follow him.  
After some walking (you had forgotten you had left the GPS app open) you followed Ryuji down an ally, presumably a shortcut. You were getting excited, but you had to keep a poker face. You couldn't let anyone know you knew the future, technically speaking. As you walked through a puddle, you could feel the atmosphere change around you slightly. You knew you were officially in the Metaverse!


	2. Kamoshida's Palace

You heard Ryuji exclaim, and your suspicions are confirmed. You were in the Metaverse! You hurried forward and were met with Kamoshida's looming Palace, a purple atmosphere heavy in the air. Ryuji turned around towards the alley and back towards the Palace. 

"We...didn't come the wrong way though..." 

He squinted, focusing on the engraved metal sign. "Yeah, this should be right..." 

Ryuji looked at you, utterly bewildered. "What's goin' on here?" 

Ryuji looked at the mysterious castle, the gears in his head turning. He looked like he had a hard time comprehending the situation.

"Well then," you said. "I guess we'll just have to go and ask." 

He started walking towards the drawbridge and you followed him.

You ended up in the fancy interior of the Palace and the cognition faltered for a second and revealed a quick glimpse of the real school. Ryuji didn't seem to notice. "W-what's this? W-where's the school?" 

You tilted your head in feigned confusion. "Is this the school?" 

Ryuji shook his head vigorously. "N-no! This has to be it!" 

He looked into the distance, contemplating. "I mean...It should be..." 

Ryuji pulled out his phone, checking it. "Out of service? Where'd we end up...?" 

He looked back at you. "The sign outside was for the school right?"

You nodded. "Yeah, I think it was." 

You both were interrupted by a Shadow stalking towards you. Ryuji didn't look concerned. Obviously, its appearance put you rightfully on edge. Ryuji shook his head, unfazed. "Geez, you scared me. Who're you? You a student?" 

Ryuji stepped closer to it, inspecting its armor. "Man, that costume's pretty impressive...Is that armor real?" 

Ryuji waited for a response, crossing his arms impatiently. "C'mon don't just stand there. Say somethin'."

Instantly, another Shadow appeared. "...H-hey, what's goin' on?"

You pretended to be shocked. "What is this...?"

"Man, I dunno!"

The Shadows stepped threateningly closer. Ryuji stood in front of you protectively. "...This shit's real." 

They stepped even closer, trying to trap you both. He threw his arm in front of you, trying to shield you from what might happen. "C-calm down! Time out, man!" 

He spoke out of the corner of his mouth, "We gotta run."

You nodded. "Got it." 

Ryuji started to run, but you were soon blocked by two more Shadows. "Ugh!" Ryuji exclaimed. "What's with these guys?!"

One of the Shadows shield smashed Ryuji in the back. "Ow...Y-you're gonna break my bones, dammit!" 

You kneeled over him, guarding him from further attacks. They started closing in around you. He growled at them, "The hell you think you're-ah!"

Everything turned to black. 

"Take them away!"

☆*:.｡.

"Hey..."

Your whole body ached, your head pounded.

"Hey! Wake up!"

You groaned in pain and push yourself up with all your effort, holding your head. You swing your legs over the side, giving yourself a moment to recoup. Ryuji seemed to understand, standing off to the side. He gave you a concerned look. "You alright?"

You nodded, knowing that this was nothing compared to what would be coming. "Yep, you?"

"Eh, more or less." He paused. 

"...This ain't no dream..." 

You internally scoffed. You're telling me... He kicked his foot against the ground, irritated. "Ugh, what the hell's goin' on?!" 

Ryuji rushes towards the jail bars. "Hey, let us outta here! I know there's someone out there!" 

He came back towards you, silently fuming.

"Dammit, where are we?! Is this some kinda TV set?..."

Suddenly, screams of agony pierced the otherwise silent atmosphere. Ryuji and you exchanged looks. You shot up from the bed and you both rushed towards the bars. "Th-the hell was that just now?" The screams continued, and Ryuji looked shaken. "Whoa...whoa whoa whoa whoa...You're shittin' me right?" You both turned around, back towards the inside of the cell. "This is real bad...!" He turned to you, looking for inspiration. "Isn't there some way outta here? C'mon, we gotta do something!"

You decided to look around. The chains on the wall...you walked towards them. They were rusted and...was that blood?  
"Hey...those chains're used for like...torturing and stuff, right...? Dammit! This shit ain't funny!"  
You felt a shiver go down your spine and decided to turn your back to them. Your gaze wandered around the cell. You looked back towards the dingy cots and Ryuji's gaze seemed to follow. "How long's it been since we were knocked out? Dammit, this doesn't make any sense!" After another minute of examining, you gave up. Finally, you heard footsteps. "Huh?" Ryuji started.

"What was that?"

You both walked over to the bars, seeing two guards come up. One of them spoke. "Be glad your punishment has been decided upon. You have been charged with 'unlawful entry'. Therefore you will be sentenced to death."

Two sets of eyes widened in sync. Ryuji grasped the bars tightly. "Say what?!"

"No one's allowed to do what they please in my castle," you heard a familiar voice say. 

You saw the figure of Shadow Kamoshida approach haughtily. Ryuji looked at him in alarm and surprise. "Huh? Wait...Is that you Kamoshida?

You looked at Ryuji, trying to act like you didn't know anything. It was proving to be difficult. "Who?"

Kamoshida seemed to disregard you as he spoke to Ryuji. "I thought it was some petty thief, but to think it'd be you, Sakamoto..." 

The Shadow version of the teacher gave a disgusting smirk. "Are you trying to disobey me again? It seems you didn't learn your lesson last time at all, huh?"

He finally seemed to pay attention to you. "And you brought this pretty little thing with you. Because you can't do anything for yourself, can you?"

Ryuji's face became contorted in irritation, glaring at the Shadow. He rattled the bars. "This ain't funny you asshole!"

Kamoshida looked offended. "Is that any way to speak to a king? It seems you don't understand the position you're in, do you?"

He shook his head in indignation. "Not only did you sneak into my castle, you commited the crime of insulting me! The king!"

He smirked again, looking down on Ryuji. You knew he hated him. It was surprising how the malignant aura surrounding the Shadow was nearly palpable. "And the punishment for that is death."

Kamoshida grimaced, his hatred coming to a climax. "It's time for the execution! Take him out!"

Ryuji's face fell. He looked scared, and rightfully so. The guards moved to open the cell. Backing away with you, arm in front of you protectively, he pleaded with the Shadow. "S-stop it..."

The Shadows barged in and surrounded the both of you. Ryuji gritted his teeth. The frustration and fear on his face was clear as day. "G-goddammit..."

Ryuji clenched his fists in anger and bashed into a Shadow. It fell immediately to the floor. "I ain't down for this shit! C'mon, let's get outta here!"

Right then, a Shadow came forward and thrusted the hilt of its sword into Ryuji's stomach. He cried out in pain. He immediately crumpled to the floor, kneeling. You were frozen in shock. The Shadows took that opportunity to shut off your access to him. You gave him a frightened stare. Your eyes wide open, you felt like you were going to cry. Ryuji shook his head. "Just go! Get outta here! Please, these guys are serious..."

Kamoshida smirked triumphantly at you. "Oh? Running away are we? You're such a terrible friend, aren't you darling?"

"She ain't a friend!"

Ryuji's comment struck your heart. You had forgotten he said that in the game. Even though he was technically right and he was trying to protect you, it still hurt. He threw a desperate look at you. "C'mon! Hurry up and go already!"

You clenched your fists, anger welling up inside you. Kamoshida seemed to notice your hesitation and started to belittle you more. "What? Too scared to run away?"

He glanced at you like your mere existence irked him. "Hmph, a skank like you isn't worth my time anyhow."

He gave a threatening glare to Ryuji, smirking even more than before. "Instead, I'll focus on this one's execution."

He walked through the Shadows that had parted for him, towards the blonde. He picked him up by the scruff. His facial expression became crazed with hatred. He poised his fist, ready to swing. "Take this!"

You tried to push your way through the Shadow guards. You heard as fist connected with face. It was to no avail, one of the Shadows turned around and brandished his sword as a warning. Kamoshida kept thrashing him and accosting him, even when he was on the ground. Ryuji was unable to hold back his pained shouts. You felt warm liquid run from your eyes as you watched helplessly as he was mercilessly beaten. It seemed to go on forever.

You knew this would happen, yet you still let him come here...

 

...

 

This was all your fault...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author-chan: Hello~! I decided to try a new dialogue format...I don't know how it is, what do you guys think? And sorry for not uploading this sooner, I've been busy with school! Anyways, see you in the next chapter! ☆〜（ゝ。∂）


	3. Persona

You clenched your fists while the hot, salty tears streamed down your face. Kamoshida finally let up on Ryuji. The Shadow version spit on him for good measure. He seemed...disappointed? "Hmph, where'd your energy from earlier go?" 

One of the Shadow guards picked the blonde up by the scruff and dropped him back down. Ryuji looked so broken and it tore your heart in two. He didn't even attempt to make a noise or to shift. You cringed when Kamoshida spoke up again. "A peasant like you isn't worth beating."

There was a nerve wracking pause. It felt like eternity. The Shadow Kamoshida smirked, an insane glitter in his eyes. What he said next sent a shiver up your spine. "I'll have you killed right now."

You couldn't stand by anymore. Not while Ryuji was suffering and in extreme danger. You desperately screamed, "Stop it!"

He froze. He turned around slowly, a malicious aura surrounding him. His voice was low, a warning. "What?" Kamoshida spat.

"Don't you dare tell me you don't know who I am!"

You glared heatedly at him. Your hatred for him was overwhelming your thoughts. He stormed over to you. He grabbed your chin roughly and held your glare into his gold eyes. "That look in your eye irritates me!"

You barely had time to register his leg lifting before you were sent flying. Your back hit the stone ground, pain shooting through your spine. Your head soon followed, thumping on the wall behind you. Tears pricked your eyes and you let out a quiet whimper through gritted teeth.

Kamoshida scoffed, nonchalantly turning around. He focused his attention back on Ryuji. "Hold her there...after the peasant, I think I'll have some fun with her before I finish her off..."

He stalked slowly towards Ryuji, intent achingly clear. Fear coursed through you, mitigating your pain, and you shot up to protect him. You were instantly slammed back by two Shadows, the impact causing you to cry out. Kamoshida stopped in front of the blonde and laughed maniacally. You struggled to get free from the guards.

Just then, you heard a voice in your head. Your vision became darker. Everything seemed to slow down. **This is truly an unjust game...Your chances of winning are almost none.** A butterfly, sparkling like water reflecting  off a river, flew in front of your eyes. **But, if my voice is reaching you, there may still be a possibility open to you...**

As suddenly as it had happened, everything returned to normal. Your eyes were stretched wide. Your pulse was racing and you felt the itchy trail of sweat running. Kamoshida taunted you. "What's the matter? Are you simply going to watch?"

"Are you forsaking him to save yourself?"

"Death awaits him if you do nothing."

The voice came back, urging you. **Was your previous decision a mistake, then?** You knew it meant saving that woman. You shook your head and whispered in determination, "It wasn't."

A Shadow picked Ryuji up , dragging him up the wall. It took it's sword and pointed it at him. Your limbs moved of their own accord as you thrashed against the Shadows pinning you down. **About time...it's time to take matters into your own hands!**

Purple flashed along your line of sight, and along with it came a stabbing, searing pain in your head. Your head was pounding. It was like nothing the game had portrayed.

**** Vow to me.  
I am thou,  
Thou art I...  
Thou who art willing to seek retribution for the sake of others!  
Call upon my name, and release thy rage! 

The pain came to a climax. It felt like someone was ripping your skull apart with a searing hot hammer. Tears leaked without consent and you couldn't hold back a scream of agony and anger.

Show the strength of your resolution, even though you might be shackled to the Underworld itself!

The words helped focus your anger and you sent a burning glare at Kamoshida. Your hatred was frothing, threatening to spill over, but you felt a solid resolve. Kamoshida pointed at Ryuji, not even noticing that you had found your strength. Your purpose. "Execute him!"

You managed to meld your anger and defiance into one phrase. It was clear cut and precise, you didn't falter. You felt no fear. "That's enough!"

Kamoshida turned his head, seemingly startled. He became irritated. "What was that...?"

Even the Shadow crushing Ryuji against the wall was surprised. He slowly let him go, turning towards you. Ryuji looked at you, stunned. Kamoshida became agitated by your antics. "You desire to be killed that bad? Fine!"

He motioned toward the Shadow on your left and it bashed its shield into your face. It felt like it would leave a mark, but you didn't care. The rage swelled to a breaking point in you, but you just closed your eyes to control yourself. You knew it wasn't time.

Wood pressed against your neck and you were pushed back against the wall. You could feel Ryuji's frightened gaze boring a hole into your focus. You finally heard Kamoshida grumble. He had made his decision. You heard shifting fabric and you thought you heard a metallic noise. Suddenly, your eyes shot open and a harsh wind whooshed through the cell. **Haha, it's time, my child!**

You felt the sensation of something being pressed against the skin around your eyes. Your hands immediately flew up to your face and you felt the strong urge to take whatever it was off. It was your mask! Complying with your instinct, you dug your fingers under it and ripped it off, stinging and searing like ripping off hot wax. You felt warm liquid ooze from your face and you knew it was blood. It ached and burned, like the fire you had in your soul. You knew what you had to do. You smirked cockily, looking back at Kamoshida.

Immediately, red and black flames surrounded you. You felt like it was an extension of your rage and determination. You felt like a goddess. Power coursed through your veins. The fire consumed you and you felt the change you were going through.

Your vision cleared and the common theme filling the room: fear. You felt the presence of someone behind you. Your Persona.

"Let's kick their asses!"

You heard the sultry chuckle behind you. "It would be my pleasure."

The harsh wind returned when you heard the flapping of wings, knocking all the enemies to the ground. You felt so invincible and you saw the flames whipping around you still. Kamoshida gave you one look and scampered up towards the entrance, putting distance between the two of you. You grinned.

Ryuji's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets. "Wha...what the...?"

The flames receded, surrounding only your Persona, who spoke up behind you. She sounded very pleased with herself. "I am the Goddess of Revenge— Nemesis!"

Ryuji seemed to be broken. "What the...?"

Nemesis tilted her head down towards you. "I am the rebels soul that exists within you. If you make your plea, I will consider giving you the advantage to break free of the shackles that bind you. What say you?"

You stared, filled with determination, into her eyes. "Lend me your strength."

She seemed amused. "Heh, so be it."

Kamoshida looked frightened, but he still managed to try to cling to his authority. He ended up sounding pathetic anyhow. "Who are you?!...Guards!"

The Shadows that had previously been knocked to the ground got back up. He pointed at you. "Start by killing that one!"

The Shadows bent violently backwards and their physical forms exploded, revealing their true forms. Kamoshida grinned like an animal, like he finally had the advantage. "You will learn the strength of my men!"

The now Jack-o'-Lantern Shadows leered at you as they floated closer, engaging you in battle. Nemesis met your gaze and gave you a reassuring nod. "Dispatch your foes. Turn your animosity and hatred into power...and turn them to dust!"

In front of you a leu of options appeared, like the game's format. You reached and touched the Persona option. It changed to the Persona's abilities and your eyes widened. It was just like the game. You grinned and chose the Eiha option, targeting the Shadow on the left. You saw the heart health bar for it drop drastically. It was almost dead. The Shadow you had attacked came towards you and you just barely dodged it. It started moving back and the other Shadow decided to attack you and it's weapon grazed you. Your health went down by a few points. It was finally your turn and you heard Nemesis tell you to use your weapon. 

Suddenly a large black scythe appeared in your hand, blade glinting in the faint light. The blade was dark, but still somehow refracted light, and the ebony handle had red jewels embedded in it. It was well-balanced and lightweight in your hands. Aiming for the most damaged Shadow, you rushed towards it and swung the wicked sharp blade down. It struck it and continued to cut through as the Shadow turned to smoke.

The remaining Shadow floated forward and attacked you while you were distracted. You retaliated with your scythe. You brought it down with enough force that you completely wiped out the enemy. The battle stats screen showed up and you saw that you had leveled up, as well as gaining some yen. Nemesis gained the move Ominous Words. You were wondering why you hadn't ended up with Arsene, and wondered if you would ever be able to earn his mask. You pushed those thoughts aside as the cell turned back to normal. Ryuji looked up at you from the grimy cell floor. He looked thoroughly confused. "What...?"

You took a moment to look down at your outfit. Holy shit, you looked completely bad ass! It was completely black leather, just your style. You grinned at the blonde. You were surprised and excited, more than you ever have before. The reality of the situation weighed down upon you and you managed to contain yourself. Like a (slightly) mature person. Ryuji was obviously still bewildered. "What was that just now?..."

As if to ruin your mood, the Shadow Kamoshida stormed over, fuming. His golden-eyed glare was crazed. His face was contorted with a sea of emotion. You had honestly almost forgotten about the guy. "You little...!"

While his glare was focused on you, you saw Ryuji look...set on something? He shot up suddenly. He crashed violently into the Shadow, knocking him over. The blonde now looked more confident than before. His bruised face lit up in a smirk. "How'd ya like that, you son of a bitch!?"

You looked at him proudly. You shook your head to clear your thoughts, remembering the gravity of the situation. You pointed to the key ring now splayed on the floor. "The keys!"

Ryuji looked at where you were pointing. "Y-ya mean this?"

You so badly wanted to be sarcastic, but you decided to hold your tongue. You nodded quickly. He scooped them up hurriedly as you both scampered out of the cell. You slammed the cell door shut and Ryuji followed swiftly with a key. He jammed it into the keyhole. Thankfully, you both were lucky on the first try and it was able to turn and the lock clicked. He nodded in affirmation. "Ok, it's locked!"

Kamoshida started to rise. You both look at him in surprise. He held his head in his hands, probably in pain. "Damn you...!"

As you relaxed, knowing he couldn't do anything, Ryuji turned to you. He looked serious. "Hey...! What was that just now?! And...your clothes..."

Red and black flames engulfed your outfit and were no more as suddenly as they had appeared. You looked down slightly and observed that your Shujin uniform had returned. You huffed quietly. You quite liked your snazzy getup. The blonde looked amazed. "Whoa! It's gone!"

Unexpectedly, the bars next to you rattled loudly. This made the two of you jump, startling you out of your sort-of conversation. Kamoshida looked defeated but angry. "You bastards!"

Ryuji scoffed. "This is effin' nuts..."

He looked at you and you saw a quick flash of anxiety cross his expression. "Anyways, let's scram! You lead the way!"

You turned on your heel and took his suggestion. You heard a grunt from behind you and saw something fly past your peripheral vision and a splash sounded. You assumed it was the keys. 

"Goddamn thieves!" Kamoshida shouted after you both.

He ordered hastily to no one in particular, "After them! Don't let them escape!"

You smirked.

This was going to be fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author-chan: Eep! Seems I got a bit carried away with this update... σ^_^; I try to keep my chapters short, but I had fun describing the action. Also, your outfit in the Metaverse is the one on the story cover ((I don't own it, unfortunately...it's very nicely drawn...)) Hm, how will our smol bean cat (*you hear from background* "I'm not a cat, Fae!") ...meeting go? ("Don't ignore me, woman! I know you can hear me!") ...Anyways, see you in the next chapter! ☆〜（ゝ。∂）


End file.
